JOB SATISFACTION OF ACADEMIC STAFF IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM OF SERBIA: A PILOT STUDY

In the turbulent business environment of today, the competitiveness of all organizations is primarily based on intangible resources. Due to global competition, the permanent actualization of employee competencies is imperative for the long-term survival of organizations. The higher education system bears a special responsibility in this process, as it provides an upgrade for the development of the previously obtained competencies of future employees. Higher education is the system focused on dual core functions of knowledge creation and knowledge transmission through the processes of research and teaching (Houston et al, 2006, 17). To ensure high-level competences in future employees, it is crucial for the higher education system (teaching staff) to provide students with the latest knowledge in their field. The job satisfaction of academic staff is reflected in the quality of teaching and communicating with students (Runhaar, 2017, 646-647). The aim of this paper is to determine the level of general and partial satisfaction of teaching staff at the institutions of higher education in the Republic of Serbia. The method implemented for determining the level of satisfaction, was Spector’s Job Satisfaction Survey – JSS (Spector, 1985), in the form of an on-line questionnaire. The pilot research was conducted in December 2018 and January 2019. The sample consists of 58 respondents - teachers from higher educational institutions in the Republic of Serbia. The results of general job satisfaction survey indicate that teachers are generally ambivalently satisfied with their job, they are neither satisfied, nor dissatisfied. The results of partial satisfaction show that teaching staff is most satisfied with the nature of their job.